A Pittsburgh dietitian & new mom who is passionate about all things food, fitness, and family

12 Days of Christmas

How are you guys doing today? I can’t believe I’m posting for the 4th time this week! Nothing food related though. I’ve seen a Christmas survey circulating on some other blogs, so I wanted to share with you one of my most special Christmas memories growing up.

My uncle, who I raved about in the past, has always been my “favorite” uncle – even if he’s the only brother my dad has! I have lots of wonderful uncle’s on my mom’s side of the family too, but Dick, who’s also my Godfather, takes the cake.

I’m not sure what age it started – I’m guessing maybe 4 or 5 – but 13 days before Christmas, a gift showed up on our front porch, with a rhyming note. For example:

“On the first day of Chistmas – my uncle really rocks – but he thought I could use a new pair of ____”.

Socks, duh. But he was much more creative, and each night there was a new poem.

I vividly remember the excitement each night – I couldn’t wait for it to get dark outside and would peek out at the porch CONSTANTLY hoping to see a my present with the riddle attached. The gifts weren’t extravagant, but getting something each night for 12 nights in a row was so exciting – and my favorite part was trying to solve the riddle.

When I was 9, my baby brother was born, and for a few years Dick managed to give us EACH a gift and poem for 12 nights, leading up to our special “big” present on Christmas Eve. It was absolutely magical.

And we NEVER “caught” him on the porch when he’d drop off the gifts. Not in 15-ish years!

When my brother became a teenager, Dick finally admitted it was too much – and we were so grateful for each and every year that he made the huge effort. Two years ago, JR and I did the same for him – small, silly presents – but it was fun to realize just HOW much work it was to make sure we could pick a gift, come up with a poem, AND get it to his doorstep every night.